David Gilhooly
The Public Abandons Philosophy; Pigeons Acquire Philosophy
1990

Project Area: CBD/Financial Core
Project: Citicorp Plaza Phase I
Project Location: Ernst & Young Plaza, 725 S. Figueroa Street
Project Type: Developer

Description:

A pair of  life-size bronze sculptures sit on the seating-wall that snakes around the upper plaza. David Gilhooly created the sculptures in collaboration with poet Robert Mezey. "The Public Abandons Philosophy" depicts two half eaten sandwiches and a slice of pizza left behind on a small stack of newspapers; "Pigeons Acquire Philosophy," depicts three pigeons situated on or near a newspaper stack topped by a fried egg.  Poetry by Robert Mezey is incorporated into the sculptures themselves:

The Public Abandons Philosophy
Bargains, odds and ends for sale -
Double breasted suit of mail
Half a sandwich, slightly stale.
Unused crucifixion nail.
Hard rain to fall on the U.S.A.
Shortly, headless farmers say
Man and woman
Beast and human
All too common

Pigeons Acquire Philosophy
All time's production must
Wither soon and turn to dust
Art appears the one exception -
Seers and scientists nonplused.
Maybe legal, hardly tender,
Mutters one repeat of tender
Let there be light
But not too much
We do our best
Work in the dark